In pictures: Assam refugees

More than 170,000 people from about 500 villages have fled their homes after fighting between indigenous Bodo tribes and Muslim settlers in India's north-eastern state of Assam. The refugees are staying in nearly 130 relief camps in the worst-affected districts of Kokrajhar and Chirang.

Mobs attacked their wood and thatch homes before setting them on fire. Most residents left their homes before they were attacked. The death toll in the fighting has risen to 40.

Women and children crowd the camps. Many complain that they are struggling to find food.

Relief workers say they have enough food stocks to last a week, but that may change if the flood of refugees continues.

Twenty-five-year-old Ela Brahma, a refugee, gave birth to a baby girl in one of the camps on Sunday. She was told later that her home had been burned down. "I am just happy that my baby is ok," she says.

Villagers in the camp say they have lost their homes and property in the violence. "We don't know how long we have to stay on in the relief camp," one villager says.

Meanwhile train services linking Assam with the rest of India resumed on Wednesday under heavy security,

Security forces have been given shoot-on-sight orders and a curfew has been imposed in the troubled areas.

BBC links

This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.